Sustainability Victoria is responsible for planning for Victoria’s waste and resource recovery system at a statewide level. Central to Victoria’s integrated approach, is our 30-year roadmap – the Statewide Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Plan (SWRRIP).

SV works closely with the seven regional Waste and Resource Recovery Groups, responsible for complementary Regional Implementation Plans, to ensure that we achieve change at a state, regional and local level and maximise our impact.

Statewide Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Plan

The Statewide Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Plan (SWRRIP) is prepared by Sustainability Victoria on behalf of the Victorian Government. It is a central component of Victoria’s Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Planning Framework and Victoria’s integrated approach to waste and recycling.

The vision of the Statewide Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Plan is to develop an integrated statewide waste and resource recovery system that continues to provide an essential community service.

The SWRRIP was republished in April 2018. The SWRRIP, an overview – SWRRIP at a glance, and FAQs are available.

Implementing the Statewide Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Plan

Implementing the SWRRIP involves many stakeholders, including state government agencies, local government, waste and resource recovery businesses and industry that remanufactures and uses recycled material.

The SWRRIP identifies key actions for the Victorian Government, including:

• Guidance and programs for local government and industry to increase resource recovery and operate to best practice
• Research and provide guidance to the sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and respond to climate change
• Land use planning for waste and resource recovery infrastructure
• Information on proven and emerging technologies

The Statewide Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Plan's complementary initiatives for the next 5–10 years are illustrated in the diagram.

Climate Change and the Waste and Resource Recovery Sector

The SWRRIP identifies that one of the biggest challenges to Victoria over the next 30 years will be mitigating and adapting to the impact of climate change. The waste and resource recovery sector, whether private operators or local government, can act on climate change now.

In 2016 SV commissioned a study to profile the waste sector’s greenhouse gas emissions and identify opportunities to reduce emissions. The study identified a range of opportunities – from increasing the diversion of organic material from landfill to the use of electricity generated from renewable sources to improved transport efficiency.

Commit to action and join TAKE2

Delivered by Sustainability Victoria, TAKE2 is the state’s collective climate change program supporting individuals, government, business and other organisations to help our state achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Learn more about TAKE2

For information on what waste and resource recovery businesses can do to reduce emissions see:

Case Study: Smart Recycling in Dandenong

Sustainable finance for energy solutions

Business Renewables Centre

Keep up to date about the waste and resource recovery sector climate change pledge

Victoria’s Climate Change Act 2017 requires development of five yearly sector pledges which describe the actions government will take to reduce Victoria’s emissions. The first pledges for the period to 2025 must be finalised by 1 August 2020, including the waste and resource recovery sector.

Read more

Resource recovery funding

The Victorian Government regularly releases funding programs to support resource recovery. Check out our Grants and Funding section to see available rounds and learn about recent funding announcements.

Regional implementation

The SWRRIP is being implemented in collaboration with Victoria’s seven regional Waste and Resource Recovery Groups. The seven Regional Implementation Plans enable the statewide goals to be achieved consistent with local priorities.

Each Regional Implementation Plan contains an infrastructure schedule. An outline of the Statewide Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Scheduling process is available here

Learn more about the Regional Waste and Resource Recovery Implementation Plans

Resource recovery technologies 

Increasing the recovery of valuable resources will rely on a mix of existing and emerging technologies. Understanding these technologies enables informed decision-making about what can be achieved and what may or may not be suitable.

The Resource Recovery Technology Guide provides an overview of resource recovery technologies which will be useful for readers who have a general understanding of resource recovery and waste processing technologies. The guide is complementary to the Biological recovery of organics guide. It does not include all reprocessing technologies; however further technologies may be researched and published by SV in future.

The Guide is aimed at project developers, operators, council officers and elected members, waste generators, planners, regulators, investors and the general community.

This guide is intended to provide initial information; SV recommends that decision-makers undertake further investigations as needed.

For any questions contact swrrip@sustainability.vic.gov.au

Reporting on progress

SV monitors the implementation of the SWRRIP through a monitoring and evaluation plan. It includes a suite of indicators to assess the performance of the SWRRIP.

SV has completed the second round of evaluation and developed the SWRRIP Progress Report – June 2016 to July 2018.

The report provides high level information about how we are progressing towards achieving the SWRRIP’s goals. It includes:

• Key activities and achievements of the Victorian Government
• Facts and figures reported by local government and industry about what was happening on the ground with planning for, and managing, infrastructure and services in the 2016-17 financial year.